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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bore — to drill
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. file — a line of people
  9. pop — soda
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. pop — to visit
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bore — to tire
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. snap — to click
  17. file — a tool
  18. bat — the animal
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. file — a document
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. hide — animal skin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com